The Knight and the Dragon
by Meriadie
Summary: A brave knight is summoned to slay a powerful dragon for the kingdom's entertainment. After a few unplanned events occur, the two will have to overcome their differences and face their enemies together. ((A Knight!America/Dragon!England fanfic. Horrible summary. Use of real names. Rated T for blood, maybe cussing, suggestive themes, and maybe intimate lovey-dovey themes.))
1. The Knight and the Dragon 1

The chants of excited crowds came from outside of his cage. Arthur growled, shaking his wings and getting up from his sleep. These people were ready to see a fight between a dragon and some strange knight; this was some sort of entertainment for them. A knight slaying a dragon more specifically and he were to be killed. Knowing that the humans enjoyed this strange sport from the sounds of cheering, Arthur waited for his cage to be opened. This arena was used for that one purpose, Arthur roared, hoping to intimidate his mystery opponent.

Alfred stood his ground against the dragons intimidating roar. His sword was already drawn along with his shield on his other arm. He was determined to defeat this huge creature, despite its size ferocity. Never before had he encountered a dragon, so this would be his first and hopefully not his last. Alfred took a few more steps closer to the dragon's cage, but still at a safe distance.

The men in charge of the large battle between Arthur and the unknown human looked down and into the arena. The apparent head of them spoke up, stating something about the honor and glory that comes with defeating a creature as rare as Arthur. To the humans, his breed was a rarity. The dragon snorted at the idea, knowing that this "sport" was just meaningless slaughter. He began rattling in the cage, breathing fire onto the bars, meaning to almost say, "I am prepared for anything, human!"

As the cage was slowly opened, Alfred took a gulp. The possibility of him getting killed by this dragon was very, very high. Of course, that didn't deter his confidence. He was dead set on killing this dragon, no matter what. He readied his sword, thinking of weaknesses and soft spots that this dragon had. It obviously could breathe fire, so that was a danger...

Revealing the creature within the cage, Arthur was actually smaller than expected. Not being too humongous nor small, Arthur was long in length and no more in the shoulder height of that of a horse. His gleaming body was covered in golden scales that shone in the light and piercing green eyes that were locked on his target. Opening his wings, the dragon let out another roar to the sky as he glared at the audience watching. They awed at the sight as a man explained that he was more than a sight to behold.

For a split second Alfred had wondered, 'If this dragon is let out often for battles then why hasn't it tried to fly away? Can it not fly, even though it has wings?'. The next thing on his mind was the beauty of the creature. Its shining body was almost blinding, and its eyes were like emeralds. Alfred felt that, even though he had no experience in dragons, this one was very special.

The man once again spoke up saying, "Now keep in mind of this one's rarity. A dragon like this is hard to come by. This specific breed is known for its unique ability. Magic." Hearing of his specialty, Arthur glared up at the human, roaring in anger that his talent as given away. This human must have been newer to the sport if the other man had to say that. Snapping his head at his opponent, Arthur bared his fangs and snarled while keeping in mind to show his teeth. Staying in his spot, Arthur waited in a crouching position.

Alfred heard the dragon's ability and wasn't too pleased with it. If this dragon could use magic then it could pull anything. This meant that Alfred had to be even more cautious than before. Keeping his mind off of the sharp teeth the dragon adorned, he ran closer into striking range of the beast. He swung his sword hard, hoping it hit something before he jumped back.

Being as swift as he was, Arthur moved away from the sword's swing in one, simple move. Shaking his head in pride, Arthur began to look around at the arena, making sure to observe his surroundings: the arena itself was more than large, and it even seemed to have a few items that the dragon could perch himself up on; and turn the situation around, the stadium had many bars above to prevent him from flying away. Cursing his luck, Arthur focused back on the other, glaring daggers at him. The man spoke up once again, "This rare dragon is one of the few ever seen. Not much is known of them besides their magic, extreme intelligence, swiftness, and cunning."

Alfred was disappointed that he didn't land the attack, and hearing the man rant about this dragon's abilities didn't help much. His confidence was going down slowly, being replace by the fear that he hid in the back of his mind upon entering the arena. He didn't show it though, instead he attempted to attack again.

The man saw something in the human, most likely fear. So, he decided upon telling him the main weaknesses of Arthur, "Although intelligent, this dragon breed can be very arrogant and proud of itself. Pride will be its downfall, not to mention their temper." The crowds looked towards Arthur's opponent beginning to cheer him on. The dragon was annoyed by this, but quickly dodged the other's attack before facing the man once more to roar.

Now, thanks to the help of the man, he had started to think up of a plan. With a slight smirk, Alfred lunged at the dragon once more. The two were almost at a wall, and Alfred was planning to test the dragon's patience and temper. He swung his sword once more at the other creature.

Seeing the other swing the sword from the corner of his eye, Arthur turned his body and moved out of the way quickly. The dragon was practically trotting away from the knight, flaunting the fact that the human had missed right in his face. He thought and knew that he was not arrogant and he did not have a temper. Looking up, he saw an elderly woman whisper into the man's ear as his eyes widened, "A new find! This breed of dragon, when weak, will shift into a human!" The whole arena awed in wonder of this discovery.


	2. The Knight and the Dragon 2

Recap:

Seeing the other swing the sword from the corner of his eye, Arthur turned his body and moved out of the way quickly. The dragon was practically trotting away from the knight, flaunting the fact that the human had missed right in his face. He thought and knew that he was not arrogant and he did not have a temper. Looking up, he saw an elderly woman whisper into the man's ear as his eyes widened, "A new find! This breed of dragon, when weak, will shift into a human!" The whole arena awed in wonder of this discovery.

Alfred immediately stopped at this news, surprising him. He was filled with curiosity about the dragon's human form, and then got a bad feeling that in the end he might have to kill a human. Shaking the new feelings off, Alfred continued to slash at the dragon. They were getting closer to the wall now, only a few feet away.

Once again, Arthur moved quickly out of the way being light on his feet and growling at both the man and his opponent. Opening his wings, Arthur wanted to appear bigger than he actually was. He knew that flying would be futile for the arena was a mere larger version of his previous cage. Opening his mouth, the dragon began charging a white/blue shot of fire. "Remember that all dragons have a certain number of fire-shots, this one going up to six."

"Ah!" Alfred gasped and saw his chance. When the dragon charged for fire-shots, it was left vulnerable for a short period of time! Alfred held his shield tighter in front of him as he took the risk and swung his sword at the dragon.

Feeling some ripping on his neck, Arthur immediately closed his mouth and stopped charging. He had let out a pained yelp, shaking his head in an attempt to get the pain away. The creature snapped his head to the human as he was now glaring daggers at his opponent. The crowd had given a loud cheer, causing him to snarl in anger. Arthur bared his fangs before using one hand to try and slash the human despite his shield.

Alfred wasn't as quick as the dragon was known to be when avoiding attacks, so before he could move out of the way his shield and arm were scratched with the dragon's sharp claws. Pain shot up through his arm but chose to ignore it. Adrenaline was pumping through him now, the fear almost completely gone. No second later did Alfred attack the dragon once more.

Arthur gave a smirk as he began chuckling in an almost roar; he had hit his target. In a moment's notice, Arthur was once again slashed by the bloody sword in the human's hand. The dragon gave out a loud screech of pain as the stinging feeling came now onto his shoulder; where the sword had cut him. The dragon began flapping his wings, lifting the upper part of his body up off the ground. His piercing eyes glared daggers at the human; if only those bloody weapons were out of his hands, then would he have an advantage.

Watching the dragon rise into the air, Alfred saw that he had the upper-hand. 'Now it's trying to run,' Alfred thought, 'I just have to keep trying to hit it and eventually I'll beat it!' Alfred was a little tired now, but it didn't stop him from running up to the dragon and proceeding to attack the golden creature. Its glares never fazed him in the least.

Screeching in the continuing pain, Arthur desperately looked for any opening that he could possibly sneak away to. His golden body was now becoming damaged by cuts and his own blood. The dragon began flapping his wings once more to appear larger and stronger, even if he was becoming weaker and weaker; you could almost see it in his eyes. The crowds were joyed at the sight before the man spoke up again, "Get the wings! You are sure to change it into a weaker form! If not..." He whistled, a few newer tools of ropes and nets came into the arena. "Extra weapons!"

Suddenly a feeling of regret came upon Alfred as he realized he was killing such a beautiful creature. He shook his head and replaced it with the thoughts of what he had to do. He ignored the extra weapons, for his sword was enough for him. Alfred took the man's advice and aimed now at the dragons wings. They seemed very thin and frail, so it would be easy to tear through them.

Arthur's now rage filled eyes were upon the other as he was now slowly closing in on him. Shaking his head, Arthur flapped his delicate wings in defense. He didn't care anymore if he was close to shifting, all the dragon needed now was to get at least one hit on the human once again. Opening his mouth and charging once more, Arthur got as much energy as he could to shoot fire.

At the position Alfred was in right now, there was no way he could pull the same attack as last time. He stood firmly and held his shield up, hoping it would block the attack. Alfred had remembered the pain in his arm as the blast hit him, added to the unbearable heat. After the blast had subsided, the shield had barely survived so he tossed it on the ground. His arm that had held the shield was now almost useless given that the pain was almost too much to handle.

Arthur panted a bit, tongue slightly hanging out of his mouth. Yes, he had landed one shot one the other, even if it was only a hit on his shield. The dragon gave a proud roar as he ended it with the shake of his head as well as the small flick of his tail. Snorting, Arthur moved a bit towards his opponent in an attempt to attack once more. "Come on, get at its wings!" shouted the eager crowd. They really wanted Arthur's demise.

With his only arm left, Alfred held his sword up defiantly. He had to make these last attacks count; he was getting really tired now. Alfred faked an attack and then not a second later swung his real attack at the dragon's other wing.

A shrill screech escaped Arthur's lips as soon as the sword tore into his very sensitive tissue, ripping his flesh. The dragon was already tired from fighting and all of his slashes hurt so much; now to add to that was the obvious rip in his wings. Basically downed from flying, Arthur should be considered a dead dragon because without his wings he had no escape. A small light started to emit from the dragon.


	3. The Knight and the Dragon 3

Alfred flinched at this new light. 'Oh, it must be transforming...' he thought to himself and the curiosity from before came back. He took a few steps to the now smaller mass, smaller than he had expected at least.

Cursing his luck as the light diminished, Arthur's human form appeared; it being much like his actual dragon form. What was left by the light was now a snarling human with messy blond hair and still glaring emerald eyes. A blanket was covering his naked form as he sat there; torn wings still there only in a smaller form, as well as a flickering tail.

Alfred couldn't help but stare. 'How could something that had been so huge and dangerous turn into something so small and defenseless?' He wondered. Then the goal returned to him, he had to kill the dragon... but... Alfred couldn't kill a human so tiny. The former dragon looked almost like a child.

The newly changed Arthur sat there in his spot, too weak to get up from where he was. Still growling as he did in dragon form, Arthur kept a glare on the human, not understanding why he was just doting there in his spot. "What is it, human? You already won this battle. Without my wings, I am virtually useless. Kill me already; that was the point of this match. My slaughter," Arthur stated in a somewhat cold voice.

Hesitant, Alfred's hand was still tightly wrapped around the hilt of his blade but made no move to attack. "I... I can't... I can't kill another human, even if they deserve to die." Alfred muttered, looking away and dropping his sword to the ground.

Arthur's eyes widened at the act. The human was showing him mercy? A tad bit confused, Arthur watched the weapon fall to the ground with a clinging noise. "But I am not another human. I am far different from your kind. Why show me mercy?" Arthur asked. Sure, what the human had said about him deserving to die most likely wasn't true, but why had the other stopped? He could feel the stares of the entire arena on the two of them.

Opening his mouth, about to speak, Alfred was interrupted by the audience's shouts of anger. They really wanted to slay this dragon, not showing the compassion the Alfred had. The man that had given him all the advice to weaken the dragon yelled, "Come on man, kill the dragon!" There were shouts similar, the people's entertainment ruined.

"Just kill me you idiot! If you don't kill me now, the other humans will. I could at least hope that my death went to someone who was worthy of killing me instead of a few dirty peasants." Arthur grumbled. He slightly shifted so his wings could cover him a bit more.

Alfred said no more as he grabbed the smaller creature, blanket and all, and ran for the exit. Gasps and shouts could be heard throughout the arena, the people not being particularly happy about this turn of events. Reaching the exit, the two now had bigger problems to face then the numerous guards chasing them; the archers.

"Wh-What are you doing, human?" Arthur stuttered in shock. He clung to Alfred, half afraid of his life, half afraid to fall. The chances, he knew, of being hit by an arrow were too high for comfort.

"I'm saving you, duh." Alfred said bluntly. "That's what a knight is supposed to do." He added with a bit of a smirk. Dodging another arrow he made his way through the open doors and to the outside world. Arthur's face lit up as he was shown the freedom he once had, but saddened at the fact that freedom might still be a while away.

The village's peasants stared as Alfred ran down the streets with the bundle, a few shouting at his recklessness. They became a tad bit more upset as the king's guards ran after them on their tails. After a few more turns, jumps, and tumbling, Alfred could finally see the boundary walls of the village. No one ever dared to leave the village, the outside world being unknown.

Arthur had been a fact, when he, a creature known only in legends, swooped into the village weaving havoc and chaos. That was when he had been captured, a net trap being thrown at his and then the villagers beating him until he was unconscious. Next morning he had awoke to the bars of the prison cage and the faces of the weak challengers.

"How are we going to get through that barrier you humans crafted?" Arthur asked, roughly pulling Alfred's hair in defiance. "I don't want to slam into a wall!"

Alfred was now beginning to get a little aggravated with all of the dragon-man's nagging and complaining. "Don't worry," he muttered, "I have a plan, you know."

The moment they reached the wall, everything had happened in a flash. A crate that was set up against the wall had provided footing as Alfred catapulted over the wall. They hit the ground hard, the fall being soft for Arthur because Alfred had cushioned the fall.

Groaning, Alfred rolled over onto his stomach, pushing Arthur off. Arthur yelped and held the blanket around him as he landed in the dirt. "That was incredibly risky, you stupid human!" Arthur shouted, whacking him in the head with his tiny tail.

"We got over it, didn't we?" Alfred retorted, flicking him in the head. Before they could get into yet another bloodthirsty fight, Alfred did a double take on his surroundings. As a young child, Alfred had been told stories of the outside world. They all told of horrifying tales with fires and disease, where the sky is grey and the air is dead. What he witnessed was completely different.

Beneath him grew a very green grass, and in front of him were a few feet of moss before it gave away to a dark green forest. The sky was a baby blue, and the air was sweet and warm. Never before had Alfred seen anything greener, except for the green in Arthur's eyes. Looking to Arthur, his weak and beautiful state, Alfred thought that he almost were a part of the forest himself.

Arthur had stood up now; the cloth still wrapped around him protectively, and was beginning to walk away into the forest. Jumping up, despite his injuries, Alfred trailed behind him. With a flick of his tail, Arthur turned back around to face the knight. "What's the matter? You're dog house is back over there." He spat.

"Hey, I can't go back there. Do you know what they'll do to me now that I screwed up their entertainment?" He snapped back. "They'll probably execute me the most painful way possible!"

Only for a moment was Arthur quiet, contemplating his next decision. "Hm… Alright. But you better not be annoying or else I'll…" He started but then remembered once again his current state. Alfred smirked at his dilemma and walked past him to the forest.


	4. The Knight and the Dragon 4

Leaves and twigs snapped under the heavy boots. Alfred wasn't exactly the most light-footed human around. Arthur, on the other hand, glided through the lush forest with ease and silence. The loud noises made by the large knight were beginning to get on Arthur's nerve, and it wasn't until a final snap of a branch did Arthur began to get on Alfred again.

"You humans are so loud and careless, it disgusts me." He spat, flicking his tail at Alfred. "Couldn't you be more thoughtful about the small life around you?" He added.

"What do you mean? You're not the one wearing all this heavy armor!" Alfred snapped back. He really didn't appreciate it when the dragon-man nagged at him. Crossing his arms, he continued to walk with Arthur.

"Then why don't you use logic. That small brain can at least do that can't it? Take those huge boots off, or maybe the entire little armor set!" Arthur said bluntly and avoided another branch, in which Alfred unknowingly ran into and broke.

Alfred thought for a moment and then shrugged. "I guess it wouldn't hurt. This stuff is pretty heavy and I don't think I'll need it." He murmured and began to take off his boots, hopping along on one foot to keep along with Arthur. "Wait. Where would I dump it? You wouldn't want me to just toss it randomly." He asked.

Sighing, Arthur spun on his heel to face Alfred. "You better watch your tongue, human." He snapped and began to look around. "The fairies like to play in things so you can set it down on that batch of moss over there." He ordered.

After placing the rest of his armor on the moss, Alfred was left in his slightly tattered trousers and shirt. "Fairies? Aren't those little people with wings that bite people?" Alfred guessed, referring back to the childhood tales that were told to him long ago.

Arthur laughed at the knight and slapped him with his tail playfully. "You humans are really ignorant aren't you? No, they do not bite; they just fly around and trick others." He explained, "That's why it's best to give them those toys and such to keep them occupied."

As they walked deeper into the dark forest, Alfred decided to ask something he had been wondering for a while. "By the way, my name is Alfred Jones. What's yours? It's not some huge unpronounceable name is it?" he asked, groaning a bit near the end.

Thinking for a moment, Arthur smiled. "No, it's simply Arthur." He said plainly and walked past him. Alfred tilted his head a bit at the human name, but thought nothing of it and continued to keep up with Arthur.

"Where exactly are we going?" Alfred asked, "You're not leading me to some nest of giant dragons or something are you?" He glared at Arthur and obnoxiously poked his cheek, which he found was warmer than a normal human should be. It was probably all that fire in him, he thought.

"We're going to a human as stupid as you, maybe more. At least he knows how to put a bandage on a wound." Arthur grumbled, "If I remember correctly, which I do, his name is Francis Bonnefoy; a disgusting creature if I say so myself. He tells me he escaped that same town you come from many years ago."

Racking his brain trying to recall the name but failing, Alfred wondered who this person was and how he had escaped so soundly. Suddenly they came to a large clearing, yet still in the forest. In the middle sat a small cottage with smoke billowing out the slightly crooked chimney. Wild flowers, many Alfred had never seen before, sprouted up and about in random areas surrounding the warm looking abode. Arthur walked up to it and briskly knocked on the door with his knuckle.

"Ah? C'est qui? Je n'est pas parle en anglais!" shouted a nervous voice inside. Locks could be heard closing tightly and Alfred could have sworn he saw the curtains fly shut. Arthur sighed and banged his small fist on the door.

"Open up, idiot! It's just me and this other foolish human who refuses to leave me. We're a bit injured so it would be very generous of you if you could lend us a helping hand." Arthur hissed, trying to sound as nice as possible. The locks that had just been closed could be heard opening and the door swung open. Standing in the doorway was a neatly dressed man with slightly long curly hair the color of gold. His smile was wide and goofy, and his chin wasn't shaved well.

"Mon ami! It's been so long! I thought you were dead! What happened to you?" He said pulling both Arthur and Alfred into the house. As he asked questions, he went about in search for medicines. Herbs and plants were growing at every spot, and the air smelled like healing cream. The furniture was very simple, and even though plants crowded every inch it was very snug and homely. A large fire burned in the strange fireplace, its flames ranging from colors of ice blue to blood red.

"Well, those dastardly humans caught me flying over there city and used me as there play toy. They sent knight after knight trying to see who could kill me, until this fellow appeared and defeated me. He refused to take my life and escaped the city with me captive!" Arthur snapped, trying to make Alfred sound like he was evil.

"Held you captive? You were practically crying for me to save you!" Alfred retorted. Grabbing his small wings, he started to aggravate the dragon-man in any way possible. Francis came back with a handful of strange medical goods, setting them on the table before pushing the two apart.

"I think I'll address Arthur's wounds first, since he's more hurt than he looks." Francis murmured, sitting the small blond down onto a chair and tugged on the cloth that was protectively wrapped around him. A slap to the face was returned, Arthur blushing like mad and babbling something in an ancient tongue that neither Francis nor Alfred could understand.

"The little brat might need some clothes first, don't you think?" Alfred snickered, crossing his arms and nudging Francis. Arthur growled at the two of them and pulled the cloth as tight as possible around him. France laughed and nodded, walking over to the back of the cottage and coming back with a small bundle. He handed the clothes to Arthur and led him to a bedroom to change. Once he returned, Alfred bombarded the Frenchman with questions.

"How did you escape the town? Why? How come you and the dragon know each other?" He inquired, staring at Francis with curiosity. Francis put his hands up to try and tell Alfred to slow down, but it failed. He slapped the young man's mouth gently and smiled apologetically.

"Well, it's a very long story, the whole thing. Arthur doesn't like to talk about it much, him being so caught up in his pride. Maybe when he sleeps tonight I can tell you my story, if you think you can sit through it." He said with a caring smile. As if on key, a scowling Arthur walked into the room wearing clothes that were way too big on him. There were two large holes, which were obviously ripped just now, to let his gold wings spread out behind him. A slight whimper could be heard from Francis as he noticed the holes.


End file.
